Leslie Nielsen
There are approximately 41 people named Leslie Nielsen living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 8,359,862 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Leslie with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Nielsen. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
41
1 in 8,359,862
Named Leslie
283K
Alive today
Named Nielsen
50K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 283K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Unisex
Peak year: 1957
Average age: 51
Estimated bearers: 50K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #810
Per 100K: 14.50
Top ancestry: White (94.2%)
First name trend
Leslie: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Leslie. The peak year was 1957 with 8,199 births. The average person named Leslie today is 51 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Nielsen surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Nielsen, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 94.2%.
- White94.2%
- Hispanic or Latino2.7%
- Two or more races1.5%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4%
- Black or African American0.3%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Leslie has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0827% of the US population, based on 283,420 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Nielsen appears at a rate of 14.50 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0145%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 41 people with the full name Leslie Nielsen. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Leslie
Related
Other people with the surname Nielsen
FAQ
Leslie Nielsen: questions and answers
How many people are named Leslie Nielsen?
We estimate approximately 41 people in the United States share the full name Leslie Nielsen. That works out to about 1 in 8,359,862 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0827%) with the surname frequency (14.50 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Leslie Nielsen?
We classify Leslie Nielsen as "Very Rare". About 1 in 8,359,862 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Leslie a male or female name?
Leslie is predominantly unisex. Out of 382,987 total SSA registrations, 29.5% were male and 70.5% were female. See the full Leslie profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.